Flying machine



Patented July 6, 1937 'UNITEDl STATES PATENT oFFlcE y' FLYING MACHINE v Richard J. McNamara, Somerville, Mass., assignor of one-half to Edward J. Blanchiield, Cambridge, Mass.

Application February 14, 1936, Serial No. 63,887

9 Claims.

it traverses the wings, while said wings rotate at a comparatively low speed, thereby attaining great lifting efiiciency. Another object is to provide such a construction and arrangement' of wings that increasing the diameter of the wings, whilenmaintaining the same tip speed, substantially increases the lift 'per horsepower, and the lift per unit area, thereby increasing the eiiiciency of the ying machine as it is increased in size.

. The foregoing and other objects which will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, may be accomplished by a construction, combination and operative arrangement of parts such as is disclosed by the drawing and specification. The nature of the invention is such as to render it susceptible to various-changes and modifications, and. therefore, I am not to be limited to said disclosure; but am entitledto all such changes therefrom as fall within the scope of my claims. In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a iiyingmachine equipped with my wings.

Figure 2 is a front elevation viewof my wings in operable position on a iiying machine. Figure 3 is a side elevation view of my wings as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a plan view of my wings as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5 5 of Figure 4, showing the curvature or camber of a wing as it appears when stationary.

As illustrated, a flying machine l is equipped with two of my wings 8 which are xed to a bracket 9 fixed to a sleeve II, which in turn is fixed to a rotatable shaft I5, mounted to and rotatable by a motor 'I5 of well known type. Thus it will be seen that fastening said shaft I5 to said wings I results in the rotation of -said shaft and wings together.

Each wing 8 is fiat, and is so shaped-and positioned as to constitute, while being rotated, a quadrant of the disk area swept by the said wings I, as illustrated inFlgures 3 and4of the drawing. The frontor leading edges I8 of said wings 8 extend outwardly and upwardly from opposite sides of said shaft I5 at an angle of 45 degrees, and said leading edges of the two wings extend inopposite directions andare in alinement with each other', as shown in Figure 4 of the drawing. 'I'his angle may be varied somewhat; but any 5 variation of more than five degrees either way results in a noticeable decrease in efficiency. The trailing or rear edges I9 of said wings 8 extend horizontally from opposite sides of said shaft I5 and are in alinement with each other as shown 10 in'Figure 4 of the drawing. The said leading edge I8 of a wing forms anlangle of 90 degrees with said trailing edge I9, and its actual physical length is substantially greater than said trailing edge i9, as will be seen in Figures 2 and 3 of the 15 drawing. The tip or curved edge 20 of said wings 8 defines the circumference of the disk area swep bymy wings 8 when rotating.

As shown in Figure 4 ofthe drawing, in a plan view the distance, measured horizontally out- 20 ward along a said trailing edge I9 from the center of said shaft I5 to any point on said tip edge 20 -of my wings is always the same, consequently my said wings sweep the air in a circle when rotated.

My wings may be made of the usual wing ma- 25 terial; such as air craft steel covered by treated fabric. The under side of said wings is given the numeral 2l' and the upper side 22.' As the wings 8 are rotated the air strikes said under side 2l and upper side 22 at a very slight angle, and 30 thereby avoids any initial impact shock,. and it then passes down on both said under and upper sides 2i and. 22 at an ever increasing angle and velocity due to the rotation of the wings 8, which rotation continuously presents more wing surface of said under side ZI in contact with the air until it passes beyond the wings at the said trailing edges I9, as indicated by the arrows in Figure 4 of the drawing. The rotation of said wings 8 increases the camber of the wing surface which 40 the air follows, with the'result that the velocity of the air is continuously increased until it passes beyond the wings. 'I'his camber is substantially greater while the wings are being rotated than the stationary camber shown in Fig- 45 ure 5 of the drawing. From this it will readily be seen that the larger the wings 8 and therefore the greater the diameter of the disk area swept by the said wings, the greater the lifting eiciency of the flying machine so equipped. 50

What I claim is: y 1. A wing rotor device for a ying machine comprising a shaft extending'upwardly, means to rotate said shaft, and two wings only fastened .to said shaft the leading edges of whichextend 55 2 access? diagonally outward and upward from said shaft in substantially opposite directions and arey at right angles to the trailing edges which extend substantially horizontally in opposite directions 5 from said shaft.

2. A wing rotor device for a flying machine comprising a shaft extending upwardly, means to rotate said shaft, and two wings fastened to said shaft and extending outwardly therefrom lo'in different directions, each said wing embodying a leading edge and a trailing edge which is shorter in physical length than said leading edge, and a-curved tip outside edge extending between said leading and trailing edges, said leading edges extending outwardly from said shaft at such an angle that the distance from said shaft horizontally outward to any point in vertical alinement with said tip edges is substantially the same as the said physical length of said trailing edge.

3. A wing rotor device for a flying machine comprising a shaft extending upwardly, means to rotate said shaft, and two wings only fastened to said shaft each embodying a leading edge, a trailing edge and a curved tip outside edge extending between said other two edges, said trailing edge being physically shorter than said leading edge, said two leading edges extending dlagonally outward and upward from said shaft in substantially opposite directions in substantial alinment with each other, said two trailing edges extending substantially .horizontally outward from said shaft in substantially opposite directions in alinement with each other and at substantially an angle of ninety degrees to said leading edges.

4. A wing rotor device for a flying machine comprising a shaft extending upwardly, means to rotate said shaft, and` two wings fastened to said shaft and extending outwardly therefrom in different directions, each said wing embodying a leading edge and a trailing edge which is shorter in physical length than said leading edge, and a curved tip outside edgeextending between said leading and trailing edges, each' said leading edge of the circle swept by the tip edges of said wings.

55 5. A wing rotor device for a ying machine comprising a shaft extending upwardly, means to rotate s-aid shaft, and wings fastened to said shaft andA extending outwardly therefrom different directions, the surfaces of said wings being entirely flat, each said wing embodying a leading edge, a trailing edge, and a curved tip outside edge extending between said leading and trailing edges, each said trailing edge extending substantially horizontally outward Vfrom said shaft, each said leading edge extending diagonally upward from said trailing edge, 'each said tip edge being of such curvature that the distance from said shaft horizontally outward to any point in vertical alinement with said tip edge is substantially the same as the physical length of said trailing edge.

. 6. A wing rotor device for a flying machine comprising a shaft extending upwardly, means to rotate said shaft, and two wings only fastened to said shaft the leading edges of which extend diagonally outward and upward from said shaft in different directions and into different quadrants of the circle swept by said wings and are at substantially right angles to the trailing edges which extend horizontally from said shaft in different directions and into different quadrants of said circle.

7. A wing rotor device for a flying machine comprising a shaft extending upwardly, means to rotate said shaft, and two wings'only fastened to said shaft the leading edges of which extend diagonally outward and upward from said shaft in different directions and into different quadrants of the circle swept by said wings and are substantially perpendicular to the trailing edges which extend outwardly from said shaft in different directions and into different quadrants of said circle.

8.` A wing rotor device for a ying machine comprising a shaft extending upwardly, means to rotate .said shaft, and two wings fastened to said shaft the leading edges of which extend diagonally outward and upward from saidv shaft in different directions at an angle of between 40 and 50 degrees to a plane substantially perpendicular to said shaft, and the trailing edges of which extend outwardly in a lesser angular direction than said leading edges angle, each said wing being of such shape and so positioned as to ferm substantially a quadrant of a circle swept by said wings.

9. A wing rotor device for a flying machine comprising a shaft extending upwardly, means to rotate said shaft, and two wings fastened to said shaft the leading edges of whichv extend diagonally outward and upward from said shaft in Opposite directions at an angle of between 40 and 50 degrees to a plane substantially perpendicular to said shaft and are at right angles to the trailing edges which kextend substantially horizontally from said shaft in opposite directions.

RICHARD J. MCNAMARA. 

